


hello kitten

by dracometria



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Familiars, Fluff, Kitty Taehyun, M/M, Taehyun is a tsundere but he's trying his best, Wizards, background sookai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23078995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracometria/pseuds/dracometria
Summary: Yeonjun can't figure out his familiar, Taehyun. Sometimes he's warm and affectionate, and other times, he's aloof and withdrawn.
Relationships: Choi Yeonjun/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 191





	hello kitten

**Author's Note:**

> thanks coleen for helping me look over everything 🥺 
> 
> a bit of info on the world:  
> -familiars are born from magic. their magic is stronger but more volatile than wizards' - wizards help give structure to a familiar's magic; in return, they can use/channel said magic  
> -familiars and wizards go through a choosing ceremony when they come of age, they both must agree to bonding with each other  
> -the bond strengthen as they get closer with one another  
> -familiar relationships with their wizards: typically close and trusting as they are each other's magical perfect half (soulmates), romantic developments are not uncommon

Yeonjun is halfway through his third cup of Americano and nowhere near as close with his potion experiment when he feels a familiar weight settle into his lap. He automatically goes to lightly scratch Taehyun behind the ears, not taking his eyes off his paper. He’s frustrated; he’s able to cast the physical portion of the spell perfectly fine without any assistance, but its potion counterpart is finicky and temperamental. 

A lot like Taehyun, actually. 

Yeonjun pauses in his scratching to snort at the comparison. He’s sure Taehyun wouldn’t have appreciated being likened to a potion, but half of the time he doesn’t really know what Taehyun appreciates, so. Most of the time he’s aloof and doesn’t initiate interactions with Yeonjun unless he absolutely has to. Then sometimes, he’s like this, affectionate and almost begging for attention with the way he meows and bats his paw against Yeonjun’s nose.

“I have to work on this, kitten,” Yeonjun says softly, but obliging with his familiar’s demands for pets anyway. He feels himself relaxing as he caresses Taehyun’s cheek, brushing over the space above his eyes, fingers dipping to scratch him under the chin. His familiar starts purring, kneading his paws against Yeonjun’s thighs in what was Taehyun-language for _pick me up in three seconds or I’ll scratch you._ Yeonjun sighs and gathers the familiar into his arms. Taehyun curls up comfortably and nuzzles against his chest. 

“Five more minutes,” Yeonjun says. “Then I have to get back to work.” 

Taehyun side eyes him critically and meows. Unfortunately, their connection isn’t developed to the point where Yeonjun understands what he’s saying when he’s...well, a cat. 

“If you have any complaints, tell me them in human form,” Yeonjun grumbles, though without any heat. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.” Taehyun’s ears flatten in annoyance, but the familiar can’t help but continue purring when Yeonjun strokes him at the base of his ears. 

All in all, this is at least a remarkable improvement from when they’d first met. Yeonjun had tried his best to impress his familiar when they both chose each other at the ceremony, but his flashy efforts only seemed to backfire as Taehyun became increasingly more disdainful. It was only when he stopped trying so hard when Taehyun started warming up to him. Yeonjun took the hint, even though his pride suffered a bit. It’s not hard to deduce that Taehyun respected his hard work over his confident personality that could stray towards arrogance if not kept in check. 

Taehyun keeps him in check. 

Yeonjun snaps out of his musing when he notices the time. “Alright, your five minutes are up.” He attempts to set Taehyun down on the floor, but his familiar stubbornly hooks his claws into Yeonjun’s _very_ nice sweater and refuses to let go. “Seriously, kitten? You’re going to be like this?” Taehyun meows crossly. 

“Yeonjun-hyung! Open up, before Kai does it for you!” 

Yeonjun springs to his feet, alarmed to hear that the familiar who had a penchant for using explosive magic is at his door. Taehyun’s ears perk at the mention of Kai—they’d grown up together, along with Beomgyu. It was a rather big... _kittyincidence_ that he and Soobin had ended up with familiars who were already rather close with each other. 

“Hold on, I’m coming! Don’t let Kai use his magic or I swear—I’ve already had to replace three doors, damn it—” He expected Taehyun to finally let go of him, but he’s surprised yet again as his familiar continues to cling onto him. “You are so spoiled,” he whispers to Taehyun, dropping a fond kiss atop his head before rushing to the door with the feline still in his arms. “I’m here, I’m here!” He channels a tiny bit of Taehyun’s magic to unlock the door wordlessly. Taehyun’s ear flicks towards him, and Yeonjun shrugs. “My hands are kind of full, aren’t they?” 

“Hi Taehyunie, Jjunie-hyung!” Kai greets as the door opens before pouting a little bit at Soobin. “How come he gets to use magic and not me?” 

“You know why.” Soobin rolls his eyes and pulls him close—he does it so fluidly that it’s obvious they’re comfortable with each other. Yeonjun wonders when Taehyun will trust him enough to let him in, and he feels a small stab of hurt that he tries to shake off. 

“How’s Beomie?” It’s rare to see Soobin without both of his familiars with him. Lucky bastard. Taehyun twists in his arms, managing to look concerned even as a cat.

Soobin shakes his head. “Still a little bit sick, but he’s getting better. Jinie-hyung is watching over him.” He dips his head. “Hi, Taehyunie.” 

Taehyun meows back. Kai leans down to bump his nose against his. “We’re going to be revising our theories. You should transform, it’ll be easier!” Taehyun meows again, sounding more annoyed this time. Soobin lifts an eyebrow at Yeonjun, and the latter shrugs helplessly. 

_I don’t know,_ he mouths at Soobin. 

Kai bursts out laughing. “He doesn’t want to transform because his human form is shorter than us.” 

Yeonjun strokes Taehyun’s back. “Silly kitten, who cares?”

Taehyun jumps out of his arms before daintily stepping off, tail high in the air. 

Yeonjun runs a hand through his hair. “I pissed him off again, didn’t I?” 

Kai looks at him, and Yeonjun almost squirms from the familiar’s oddly calculating stare. “I wouldn’t say that.” He pats Yeonjun on the head—seriously, why is Kai so tall in his human form. He smiles mischievously. “Good luck.” 

Soobin snorts. “Don’t tease.” 

Yeonjun narrows his eyes. “Do you know something I don’t know?” Yeonjun wants to ask more, but he’s interrupted by Taehyun exiting his room. Taehyun is right, he’s a bit shorter than them in his human form, almost small in comparison. Yeonjun doesn’t mind it though, he finds it cute. _And—is that_ —yes it is. Taehyun’s wearing his sweater. It’s big on him, easily reaching his thigh. The sleeves are pulled over his hands so only his fingertips peek through. It’d be a hazard if they were working on their potions, but since they’re mostly ironing out theory, they should be fine. Yeonjun wishes that their bond strengthens soon because he _really_ wants to hug him. Or drape an arm around him. Or touch him at all, really. Yeonjun finds reassurance in physicality, and the way Taehyun avoids him makes him feel slightly insecure as a wizard. 

“Let’s get to work,” Taehyun says, ever the pragmatic. 

“Let’s,” Yeonjun echoes, missing how Taehyun gives him a confused look. 

* * *

After Soobin and Kai leave, Taehyun continues to linger in the living room. _That’s good,_ Yeonjun thinks. Progress. 

Soobin and Kai have been a big help by pointing out different kinds of circuits to use in his magic circle—Yeonjun preferred to use powerful runes, while Taehyun liked efficient ones.Yeonjun learned to more or less weave them together and had balanced it out nicely, but he’d been up late several nights to accomplish that. He could have just replaced Taehyun’s spellwork with his own, but in the long run, he’d have to get used to his familiar’s magic anyway. Might as well get started now. Plus, as his chosen familiar, Taehyun’s magic completes his in the best aspects—it’s why they’re a good fit for each other. 

Yeonjun acknowledges Taehyun through their bond—enough to let him know that he’s aware of his presence in the room, but not urging him to do anything. Yeonjun wanted Taehyun to go at his own pace. He continues to sketch over the circle—really, this could wait until tomorrow, but he’ll have more free time if he finishes it today, plus, it’s giving him an opportunity to lure Taehyun closer. Somehow, Yeonjun _feels_ it when Taehyun thinks about turning back into his cat form. 

“Come here, kitten,” he says, tapping the spot beside him.

“Why are you calling me that?” Taehyun mumbles, and Yeonjun’s heart thumps when he actually approaches. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Yeonjun asks, frowning. He doesn’t exactly know when it’s become a habit. Probably around when Taehyun started being really cuddly in his cat form. 

Taehyun tilts his head. “When you first started, yes.” 

“But not now?” Yeonjun teases, unable to help himself. 

“You should rest,” Taehyun says instead of answering. “It’s late.” 

“It’s fine, I’ll just—” 

Yeonjun will deny that he screamed when Taehyun climbs into his lap to his dying day. He was just surprised. It was barely a yelp. 

“T-Taehyun?” 

“You’re not calling me kitten anymore,” his familiar said thoughtfully as he tucks his legs in. 

Yeonjun thinks his brain briefly short-circuits. He has a lapful of Taehyun, and he’s really, _really_ close, and fuck, something that he’d been trying to avoid thinking for a while—really, _really_ gorgeous. 

“Did you want me to?” Yeonjun manages to say, unsure of why they’re still having this conversation. 

Taehyun looks at him seriously. _God, his eyes are so pretty._ “I want you to rest.” He stiffly raises his arms, and Yeonjun’s jaw drops when he realizes what his familiar is trying to do. 

“You want a hug?” Yeonjun asks, his mouth drying.

“I saw Kai do this earlier for Soobin-hyung. Soobin-hyung appeared to be very happy.” 

Yeonjun is still confused, but it would be disastrous to leave his familiar hanging, plus, he looked absolutely adorable with his sweater paws. Yeonjun wraps Taehyun securely into his arms, immediately feeling himself unwind. 

“You’re a bit bigger like this, kitten,” Yeonjun murmurs as he strokes Taehyun’s hair. 

“You...prefer me this size, right?” Taehyun asks in a small voice. He’s holding on to the front of Yeonjun’s sweater, not unlike earlier when he was a cat. 

“I prefer whatever makes you comfortable, kitten,” Yeonjun says honestly. It’d be easier for him if Taehyun kept his human form most of the time, but he doesn’t mind if his familiar prefers his cat form. Taehyun seems to relax a little.

“Emotions are difficult in this form sometimes.” 

“I can help you with them,” Yeonjun offers. 

“You’ll need to. It’s holding back our bond, I think. I’m sorry.” Taehyun looks at him worriedly. “I can sense your feelings because you trust me. You can’t really sense mine yet, right?” 

Yeonjun thinks back to earlier when he felt that Taehyun was about to shift. “I think I can, a little,” he answers. They’re hints more than anything, but it’s better than nothing. He smiles. “I’ll do my best to earn your trust, Hyunie.” 

“Hyunie?” 

Yeonjun raises a brow. “You want me to call you kitten all the time?” 

Taehyun hits him. Ok, he deserved that. 

“Bed. Now,” Taehyun says snippily. 

“I’m comfortable, though,” Yeonjun says, leaning into Taehyun’s shoulder. “And since when have you been strict with curfew?” 

“Since your magic levels have been suffering because of your lack of sleep.” 

Yeonjun jolts up. “Wait, you can sense that?” 

Taehyun nods, biting his lip. “Like I said, you trust me...I’ve been doing what I can to take some of your stress and exhaustion away, but I have my limits.” 

Yeonjun’s eyes widen. “You’ve been doing that for me? For how long?” 

“Since you started on your potion transfer.” 

“I started that weeks ago,” Yeonjun says in awe. He grins cheekily at Taehyun. “I knew you cared about me.” 

Taehyun doesn’t look at him, and Yeonjun’s heart melts when his familiar tugs on his sleeve. “Bed.” 

So Taehyun’s just a little shy? That’s not a roadblock at all. 

“Ok, ok,” Yeonjun says, feeling the urge to kiss the top of his head—something he does often when Taehyun’s being needy in his cat form, but he’s not sure if it’s entirely appropriate now that Taehyun is in his human form. 

Oh well. He does it anyway. 

Taehyun freezes, eyes large, and Yeonjun is reminded of a video he saw online where cats freaked out at the sight of cucumbers. Except Taehyun doesn’t scramble off of him, instead, after the initial surprise, he tilts his head, contemplating briefly before leaning up to give Yeonjun a peck on the cheek.

_Hold on, wait a minute—_

“Please don’t tell me you saw Kai doing that too.” 

Taehyun’s eyes sparkle with mischief, and Yeonjun thinks he’s smitten. 

* * *

_Bonus_

“If you don’t like being called kitten, I can always call you something else. Sweetheart? Baby? Love— _ow!_ ” Yeonjun yanks his finger back. “Did you really just bite me?” he asks in disbelief. 

Taehyun sniffs primly. “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” 

It didn’t hurt very much at all, but Yeonjun is very much endeared by this side of Taehyun, so responsive and easy to rile up. He traces the curve of Taehyun’s lower lip with his thumb. 

“Looks like you still need some housetraining,” Yeonjun teases, hastily withdrawing it from Taehyun’s reach when he attempts to bite him again. “Watch your teeth, kitten.” 

“You’re so annoying,” Taehyun grits out, but it’s without any heat. He frowns and takes Yeonjun’s hand to inspect his finger. Other than a tooth mark, there’s not much else to see. 

Yeonjun smirks. “You going to kiss it better, Hyunie?” His smugness abruptly drops when Taehyun narrows his eyes and does exactly that—he brings Yeonjun’s fingertip up to his lips and presses a soft kiss against it.

“I’m sorry,” Taehyun mumbles. “Didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

Yeonjun decisively switches tactics. “My lips hurt too.” 

Taehyun looks at him suspiciously and actually starts to lean in before abruptly realizing Yeonjun’s game. He bristles even as Yeonjun pulls him closer. 

“You’re so cute,” Yeonjun laughs, kissing him on the top of his head like he often did. “You could never hurt me. Good night, Hyunie.” 

Taehyun huffs but proceeds to melt into Yeonjun’s embrace. He doesn’t hate this, doesn’t hate how Yeonjun makes him feel safe and warm. It can be distracting sometimes, and there’s an indescribable emotion he feels in his chest sometimes, not quite fondness, but something beyond that. 

Well, Yeonjun had promised to help him figure it out. He trusts him.

“Good night, Yeonjun.”

**Author's Note:**

> HAHHAa the bonus ended up being kind of long oops, i couldn't really fit in the fingers nipping scene suggested by kaisha ; ; 
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/yourcutiekai) & [ask](https://curiouscat.me/dracometria)


End file.
